A-Z Challenge 2013 - 'R'

My A-Z posts this year are based on my garden – flowers, animals, the birds and the bees, butterflies - with a bit of poetry thrown in. For some letters I am expecting to cheat somewhat – wishing they were here.

R – Rose, Rhododendron, Robin, Rabbit, Retriever

For a rose we can only begin with Burns:

My love is like a red, red rose

That’s newly sprung in June

An older verse applies to roses too as not all are as red as those.

 

Thou blushing rise, within whose virgin leaves

The wanton wind to sport himself presumes.

Over the years we have been nurturing a rhododendron bush that didn’t thrive in the soil in the front garden border. It has gone from border to tub, to ericaceous tub to back garden border where it now flowers happily.

 

Rhododendron

Three girls, engrossed, were wrenching full clusters

Of cerise and pink from the rhododendron,

Mountaining them on spread newspaper.

They brassily picked, slowed by no chagrin,

I’m pleased to be able to show a photo of one of my favourite birds which I’m sure you will have all seen on Christmas cards.

Robin

 No noise is here. Or none that hinders thought.

The redbreast warbles still, but is content

With slender notes, and more than half suppressed;

Pleased with his solitude, and flitting light

From spray to spray, where’er he rests he shakes

From many a twig the pendant drops of ice,

That tinkle in the withered leaves below.

Cute but less welcomed is this fellow about to attack the plants.

 

Rabbit

Now if today had been Friday then perhaps I’d get up early and sing along:

The song was written for Noel Gay's show 'The Little Dog Laughed' which opened on 11 October 1939, at a time when most of the major London theatres were closed.

The farmer with a gun would have needed a Retriever to fetch the rabbit. I know one that could do the job.

Cody

Incidentally Cody was 15 years old on Easter Sunday; he’s no April fool.

Poems:

• A Red, Red Rose – Robert Burns
• The Rose – Sir Richard Fanshawe
• From the Fable of the Rhododendron Stealers – Sylvia Plath http://allpoetry.com/poem/8498035-Fable_Of_The_Rhododendron_Stealers-by-Sylvia_Plath
• Robin – from The Task; William Cowper

Video:

• Youtube: Flanagan and Allan – Run Rabbit Run